Ship-protector.



JOHN n. rrnrz, or roLEno, omo.

l snrP-rnornoron.

Leonesa. e

Specification of Letters Patent.

patenten nay ai., rei..

application mea taeter e, 1917. 4serial no. 195,361.

To all 'tvlwm t may concern.'

Be 1t known that lf, JOHN D. PIL'rz, a

citiren of Russia, residing at Toledo, in

the county of Lucas and State of Uhio, have invented certain new and useful .Im-

` provements in 'Ship-Protectors,' of which the following is a specification..

The-primary object of the invention is the provision "of a protector arranged adj acent the water line of the ship, and provided with vertical adjusting means to compensate forthe rising and lowering of the ship in the water under load conditions.

A further object of the invention is the provision 'of a buder means adapted for` preventing injury to ships from torpedoes traveling 1n the water adjacent the surface provided vent the same 'from exploding.

A still further object of this device is the provision of a ship protector thatfis readily carried in adjustable relation to the hull of a ship, and which neither impedes the progress of the ship nor interferes with the propelling and steerin meansithereof but assists in stabilizing t e craft.v

1n the drawings forming a part of this application and 1n which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts through the several views,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of'a ship prol vided with my device,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof,l

Fig. 3 1s a vertical transverse sectional view through a portion of thesame upon an enlarged scale and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of. a spring connection employed with the device.

My protector may be employed with anyl form of ship and is herein illustrated 1n connection with the ship 10, having a hull 11 provided with a deck 12, a cabin 13, pilot house 14, :tunnels 15 and wireless outfit 16. Theship 10 is also provided with a rudder 17 and a propeller 18 at 4the stern 19 thereof l while the buer iorm of protector 20 surrounds the hull 11 and has the general outline ci the hull.

The protector 20 has an inner layer 21 formed. of a base plate or strip preferably of cork or other relatively light rnateriall and has a plurality of rollers 22 i adjacent its inner face engaging the outer surfaceof the hull 11'for assisting inthe vertical Inovement of the' protector upon the hull. A

rubber plate 23 is carried by the base plate 21 for mounting a plurality of springs 24 which-support a mattress 25 formed of layers of metal mesh or screens and constituting the outer layer or surface of the protector.

Flexible top and bottom strips 26 are connected between the base plate 21 and plate -23 and the outer mattress layer 25 which protect the springs 24 and yet allow the inward movement of the mattress 25 when hit by a projectile, such movement being cushioned by the springs 24.

Cables 27 are connected to' the rings 28 upon the k el 29 of the hull 11 and are at.-

cylinder 35 having a stung box 38 while a f i similar stung boxl 39 'is-,arran ed at theA lower end of the cylinder. A p urality of cables 40 are attached to the upper outer edge of the protector 20 asat '41 and passed over pulleys 42 upon the deck 12 and thence over winding drums 42 carried by an operating' shaft 43 centrally journaled upon the deck. -By this arrangement, the protector 20 is normally positioned adjacent the water line where any oncoming tor edoes traveling adjacent the surface of t e `water will hit the mattress 25 which will withstand the shock of the contact, being cushioned by the springs 24 as well as the rubber plate 23 and the cork plate 21. en the car o within the hull 11 lowers the ship into t e water,|the shaft 43 is turned by any desired means, for winding up the cables 40 and moving the protector 20 upwardly upon the hull 11. In this manner, the protector 20 may be readily adjusted for maintaining the same in proper relations to the water line of the hull 11, while the encircling cork plate 21 acts as a floating Outrigger assisting in stabilizing the`ship. Upon releasing the cables 40, the resilient connectors 41 act as take-ups for the cables 27 to lower the protector 20. The protector having a pointed bow portion 44 andhaving sides substantially conforming to the shapeoi kthe hull @epi/ae of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Wanhingtomh. C.

11tl1e ship will bc` propelled through the water without being impeded by my protecting device, while the portion of the hull ordinarily exposed to the attack ofl torpedoes will be protected from injury.

What I claim as new is:-

A protector for hulls comprising an encircling float, rollers carried by the float adapted for engaging a hull uponr'rwhich the device is mounted, a mattress arranged outwardly of the float, resilient connections between the mattress and oat, flexible top and bottom members connecting the mattress and ioat and projectingly arranged adjacent the said springs, a drum mounted upon the deck of the hull, cables attached to said drum and to said mattress, and separate cables having their lower ends at tached to the hull adjacent the keel and their upper ends resiliently connected to the lower edge of the mattress.

In testimony whereof I aliix'my signature.

JOHN D. PILTZ.

Commissioner e! Yatentsl,- 

